Raindrops keep falling on my head

© harrington

Hi! We've been working our way through the bioregional Where you at quiz. Today we're up to question "4.    What was the total rainfall in your area last year (July—June)? Slack: 1 inch for every 20 inches.) " Yesterday, we were unduly optimistic in our suggestion that the answer might be simple and straightforward. When looking at the Chisago County Soil and Water Conservation District web site, the tab at the top of the page was clearly labeled "Rainfall Amounts," as is the web page title. However, each of the annual tables is labeled Precipitation. Those of us who have lived in Minnesota through a few Winters know that we get precious little rain in December, January, and February, although there is the occasional anomolous weather event, this being Minnesota. So, what we've decided to do is to report the total precipitation from July through June (2011-2012) minus December, January and February. Of course, if we were really into the spirit of bioregionalism, we'd have a rain gauge that we checked daily and recorded the results on a spreadsheet or in a database so we could generate our own reports. I haven't managed to bring that much daily routine to my life yet. Maybe when I retire. Anyhow, here's the answer for Lent Township in Chisago County: 2011-2012 Rainfall for July-November and March-June--27.74 inches. I'm suspicious that the original developers of this quiz may be native to the West Coast or other places where it doesn't snow very much, or they're aspiring climatologists. Finding annual precipitation is easy. Getting a breakout between rainfall and snow, not so much. Here's a fitting poem from one of my favorite poets.

April Rain Song

By Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.

The rain makes running pools in the gutter.

The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night—

And I love the rain.

I've started researching tomorrow's question and have discovered it's a real challenge. Here it is: "5.    When was the last time a fire burned in your area?"

Thanks for stopping by. Come again when you can. Rants, raves and reflections served here daily. This afternoon it's WEI CSA pickup time. This week's contents include the usual suspects plus early tomatoes and hot peppers. Maybe the peppers will work for a cheese-stuffed, bacon wrapped pepper recipe I've been waiting to try.